Her name came up repeatedly among co-workers recommending her as director of surgery services at Belton Regional Medical Center. The hospital’s CNO listened, but Amanda Scrogham already had caught her attention.

“Amanda did a great job as a charge nurse, juggling a lot of balls in the air,” said Karen Lee, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer at Belton Regional Medical Center. “When the position became available, she was encouraged by staff members to go for it, that she would be a good fit. That says a lot from her team.”

Scrogham, RN, CNOR, director of surgery services started in her new role in August of 2013. Scrogham says she is still getting acclimated.

“It still is a big transition,” Scrogham said. “The director position has additional duties I wasn’t performing as a charge nurse.”

Surgery services require a lot of people and departments working together, Lee said. Scrogham communicates with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and other support departments, she said.

“Amanda’s strength is her ability to pull team members together — focus on what is doing right for the patents,” Lee said.

Being director means being a big-picture thinker, she said. She oversees productivity, works with a controller on budgeting and serves in multiple other administrative capacitates. Lee’s goal is to strike a balance between her administrative duties and also having a presence among staff members, patients and their families.

“I do rounding on patients right now, make sure needs are being met,” she said. “Our department works very well as a team.”

Scrogham started in the operating room as a circulator. As a circulator you have varying challenges caring for one patient at a time during surgery, she said.

“You are the patient’s advocate during surgery — make sure every person is doing their job,” she said.

There wasn’t a time when Scrogham did not see herself as a nurse. She drew a picture of herself in a nurse’s uniform when she was in kindergarten. She began volunteering at age 13 in the Bates County Memorial Hospital and continued until she was old enough to certify as a CNA. The experiences impacted her future, she siad.

“Hospital nursing is what I like,” she said. “The higher acuity of patients the more challenging your day is. It’s always been a drive with me that I want to help other people.”

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Looking for a career change? Join our collaborative and supportive team where above all else we are committed to the care and improvement of human life. We are hiring ESTs to work full-time days or nights. PRN shifts also available. We are a fast-growing hospital in an evolving suburb of Kansas City. Contact Latasha.Tuggle@hcahealthcare.com with questions or apply today at ow.ly/I2mg30nIscs.

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